Compiled by David E. Sheppard Department Head, English June 1998 2 “Celebrate the History” Horton District High School 1959-1998 is published in conjunction with the Closing the School Committee responsible for organizing the reunion of former students, staff, teachers, and friends of Horton, 3-5 July 1998 Copies of the limited first printing or later printings may be obtained by sending $10.00 to the following address: Horton High School Att.: David E. Sheppard RR#2 Greenwich Wolfville, Nova Scotia B0P 1X0 Also, please send corrections and/or additions, as soon as possible. January 2009: Printed copies are no longer available. 3 Preface: “Celebrate the History” s the doors of Horton District High School close in 1998, forty years after construction of the facility began, students, alumni, teachers, A administrators and staff carry with them memories of the academic, social, athletic, and even political events surrounding their time at the school. Some students were at Horton from grade seven through grade twelve; others were here for shorter periods of time. No one person spent more time at Horton than Rhea Mosher, who was on the teaching staff for thirty-two years, followed closely by Paul Young, who was at the school for thirty-one years. None of the original staff is still at Horton, of course. The founding principal, “Chuck” Eaton, retired, and passed away in 1984. Earle Giles retired in 1974, and died in 1997. Jon Margeson moved to Central Kings and Berwick schools before his retirement, and died in 1997. Greg Ross became Assistant Superintendent before his retirement. Peter Goucher took advantage of a career opportunity and moved to Cornwallis District High School, to lead another battle for improved school facilities and programs there. Gerald Giddens took advantage of the provincial early retirement program, keeping his golf club in the door as co- chair of the “Celebrate the History” Committee organizing events for closing the school. This history is part of the celebration of the closing of the school. It contains a huge amount of information, but is still incomplete. It may contain errors; if so, please let me know. I am quite aware that there are many “untold” stories amongst staff and students. Supplement this history with your memories, with your yearbooks, and with any other mementos you have kept. If I hoped for two things as an historian, it would be these things: that people would remember to put dates and years on documents, programs and posters, and that all of us would be more aware of the possible value of records, so that we don’t throw them away. This has happened to too many Horton District High School records. Please do not be offended if your name is missing, or a special event overlooked. Instead, please call or write, and I will ensure that changes are made in future editions. 4 I wish to thank Andrea Sweeney for helping find lost details, Lamont Larkin for some old photos, Marlene Jackson and Robert Rushton for music information, and Jim Fetty for some proofreading. Also to be commended is Paul Young’s Horton Archiving Committee, whose efforts have guaranteed the survival for posterity of many school documents, pictures, trophies, etc. Andrew Clinch, Horton Principal, has also provided storage facilities in the new school, and Ed Getson will oversee the display area for Horton memorabilia in the school. Your contributions will be appreciated. David E. “Shep” Sheppard CONTENTS Chapter One: HDHS Heralds New Educational Opportunities 5 Chapter Two: Horton Grows and Develops 11 Chapter Three: The Teachers 17 Chapter Four: Student Organizations and Activities 21 Chapter Five: Athletics at Horton 31 Chapter Six: Student Council, Yearbook, Proms, Allied Youth 40 Chapter Seven: Academic Accomplishments 45 Chapter Eight: Important Events from the Life of HDHS 53 Chapter Nine: Towards the New Horton High School 59 Appendix One: Music and Cadet Trophies 71 Appendix Two: Other Trophies 75 Appendix Three: Athletic Trophies 78 Appendix Four: Horton Students Art Collection 85 “Tribute to Horton”: poem by Janet Ethier, 1968 87 5 Horton District High School was officially opened by the Honourable E. D. Haliburton, Minister of Agriculture, on Friday, 9 October 1959 in the school gymnasium. According to the media, one thousand people attended the ceremony, to hear special guest speaker H. M. Nason, Director of Primary and Elementary Schools for the Department of Education. Amos Blenkhorn, chair of the Horton District School Board, presided, and platform guests included the Municipal Council of Kings, headed by Warden William T. Blair; Municipal School Board Chairman Gordon Gates, Port Williams; chairs of the other school boards in the county; Eric Balcom, MLA, Kings North; contractor Vernon Woodworth; Douglas Webber, architect, Halifax; and many others. Mr. Nason was introduced by Inspector of Schools, Seymour C. Gordon. Mr. Nason told the audience that “the greatest single problem facing education today is to take care of an over-abundant supply of children. A satisfactory solution to this problem will require the cooperative action of the best brains in the country.” Mr. Gordon Gates, Warden W. T. Blair and MLA Eric Balcom also spoke briefly. According to The Wolfville Acadian,1 Mr. Haliburton reviewed the planning that went into the new school and said he felt that it made a decided forward step in the education program of the county and the province. He noted that the founding of Horton Academy, in 1828 as a private school, had, after completing 130 years, closed and pointed to the 1 The Acadian printed the story verbatim from The Halifax Chronicle-Herald. 6 fact that it is a coincidence that this magnificent new Horton District School is now open. Horton district schooling dates [from] the New England Planters in 1758. It was noted that Principal Charles Eaton is a descendant of one of these families. The Kentville paper, The Advertiser, reported other aspects of the opening ceremony, which included the presentation of Union Jack flags by the Sir Robert Borden IODE and the women of the Greenwich United Church. Mr. Nason presented a provincial flag on behalf of the government. The keys to the school were passed formally from contractor Woodworth to architect Webber, who in turn, presented them to building committee chair, Councillor Robert Bishop. Mr. Bishop presented them to Mr. Eaton, the Principal. According to the student newspaper, The Echo, musical entertainment was by the Acadia String Ensemble consisting of Peter Giles, violin, Peggy Giles, cello, Robert McKaskell, violin, and Warwick Lister, violin, under the leadership of Professor Janis Kalejs; they played a suite of 18th century tunes. Apart from these student performers, no other students were involved in the program. The invocation was by Reverend Robert Shaw of Grand Pre, and the dedicatory prayer was by Reverend Frank Sinnott of Port Williams. The school received its name from Horton Township, which was established in 1758 -1759 following the expulsion of the Acadians. The Education Act of 1811 led to the establishment of a grammar school at Horton Corner, now Kentville, as early as 1826, and boys from Horton Township attended this school. In 1829, in Wolfville, a private school was established for boys. Named Horton Collegiate Academy, it was later known as Horton Academy.2 The names of these schools were obviously taken from the township.3 The Act of 1932 encouraged common and grammar schools, with one thousand students in Kings County in 1835. The Free Schools Act of 1864 provided education for those who desired it. Many local scholars also attended Acacia Villa School in Hortonville. It opened in 1852 as a private institution and closed in 1920. Also known as the Patterson School, it was the place of learning for such famous Nova Scotians as Sir Robert Borden, Isaac Walton Killam, and L. E. Shaw. 2 Although the new school was not connected in any way with Horton Academy, it is apparent that those responsible for the new district high school, especially the Principal, wanted to create an association, at least in name choice. 3 Cornwallis District High School had taken its name from the Cornwallis Township when that school opened in 1958; Central Kings was built in 1951, West Kings in 1956. 7 High schools first existed in the towns of Wolfville and Kentville, other high school students often travelling to the towns for their final years of education. During the 1950s, modern schools had been built in Wolfville, in Cambridge (Central Kings District), in Auburn (West Kings District) and in Canning (Cornwallis District). At the time, the responsibility for education in Kings County fell to the Municipal School Board, chaired by Gordon Gates of Port Williams.4 The Horton school district was made up of the following twenty-one school sections: Bishopville, Avonport, Lower Wolfville, Port Williams, Canaan, Lower Gaspereau, Greenfield, Hants Border, Grand Pre, Greenwich, Town Plot, White Rock, West Brooklyn, Upper Gaspereau, Lockhartville, North Grand Pre, New Minas, Highbury, Gaspereau, Davidson Street, and Black River. The school had its own Board, chaired by Amos L. Blenkhorn5 of Port Williams. The other members of the Horton District School Board were Royce Fuller of Avonport; Perley Saltzman of White Rock; A. Thornburn of Hants Border; Carl Rhyno of Grand Pre; C. Long of Black River; M. Mackenzie of New Minas; L. Schofield of Greenfield; and Ellis Gertridge of Gaspereau, who served as the secretary. The school was designed by Halifax architect Douglas A. Webber, and was constructed by Vernon C. Woodworth, Limited of Kentville. The original building contained eighteen academic classrooms, a library, two Household Economics laboratories (cooking and sewing), two science labs, an auditorium/gymnasium, two shower rooms, an administrative section and staffroom.